CLOs go island hopping as EU rules bar Cayman Islands
Swathes of CLO special purpose vehicles are set to be relocated this month following the introduction of European Union regulations designating the Cayman Islands as a money laundering location

Luxembourg welcomes CLOs with regulatory update
Luxembourg updated its securitisation regulations on Wednesday in a move which, among other things, makes the country a more CLO-friendly domicile

Luxembourg opens for CLO business after regs update
Upcoming changes to Luxembourg’s securitisation regulation could deliver a huge boost to its CLO market, in a move that would see the jurisdiction compete with market leader Ireland

Zais scores first for new issue CLOs under Sofr regime
Zais Group has priced what sources say could be the first five-year new issue broadly syndicated loan reinvesting CLO issue of 2022 

CLO extremes will do well in '22 but mezz needs caution: BNP Paribas
The extreme parts of CLOs' capital structures will offer best value in 2022, but investors should be cautious on mezzanine tranches and consider hedges, say BNP Paribas strategists

Lev loan index rule change proposed to meet Sofr switch
Leveraged loan index stakeholders are being asked for feedback on a proposal that would allow the inclusion of loans linked to Sofr and scrap a minimum spread rule

Sofr transition timing puts CLO debt and equity at odds, says BNP Paribas
CLO investors look to have tough conversations ahead on the structure implications of the transition from Libor to Sofr, with BNP Paribas strategists noting CLO debt will benefit from an early move while equity tranches would do better to wait

Past returns: Insurers weigh CLO barbell trade to fight Solvency II
Five years ago in Creditflux we reported that insurers in Europe were putting on a CLO barbell trade in reaction to Solvency II regulations which came into effect in January 2016

FCA draws up new fund structure for long-term assets
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority has finalised a new fund structure that is designed to make it easier for defined contribution pension plans to invest in long-term assets

Spectre of US CLO risk retention looms as legislation is introduced
US CLO risk retention could be about to return from the dead. As scary as this sounds it is not a Halloween prank, but rather a result of the “Stop Wall Street Looting Act of 2021” brought about by Senator Elizabeth Warren last week

Blacklisting of Cayman Islands will force Euro CLOs to move
The Cayman Islands could soon be lost at sea for CLO managers looking to establish European and EU-compliant deals, after panellists at Creditflux’s CLO Symposium indicated that regulations ruling out use of the jurisdiction are likely to be implemented

Points up front: Risk retention gets less than 5% of airtime
In a sign of how buoyant the CLO market is, risk retention was hardly mentioned at Creditflux’s CLO Symposium. Milbank partner John Goldfinch gave a self-deprecating assessment... 

DBRS pays $1 million to settle CLO combo note rating charges
Credit ratings agency DBRS Morningstar has agreed to pay $1 million to settle charges relating to the rating of CLO combo notes

CLOs face uncertainty as Libor rate deadline looms
CLO equity valuations could be increasingly under the spotlight in coming months, as sources warn of disruption while the market grapples with basis risk between Libor and Sofr in loans and CLO notes

"Do not rush to set up a check-box approach with negative screening and start de-investing"
Instead of rushing through an ESG framework, asset managers need to adopt a long- and short-term approach

"China can act how it wants and when it wants in curbing the ambitions of tech firms… but sell offs tend to be opportunities for new buyer
China's latest moves to rein in private enterprise with new rules for education providers have certainly intensified the regulation risk landscape - but Welshcake asks whether this forthrightness could be instructive

CLO market explores move out of Cayman amid EU clampdown
CLO market participants are exploring moving their special purpose vehicles out of the Cayman Islands following amended European Union rules that could designate the territory as a blacklisted tax haven

Breakthroughs come thick and fast for Libor alternatives
Momentum has gathered around initiatives to replace Libor in contracts, with CME Group obtaining a regulatory nod on the term Secured Overnight Financing Rate (Sofr) as well as moving to launch interest rate futures based on banks’ short term credit yields

CME touts forward-looking Sofr term benchmarks
CME Group has begun publishing term benchmarks for the secured overnight interest rate (Sofr) as part of the global push to move away from Libor in financial markets

ESG drive poses little threat to CLO returns or flexibility, says Moody's
Environmental, social and governance investment criteria are not impairing CLOs either in flexibility or performance, Moody's Investors Service has found in a new report

Sofr fix nears launch as CLOs face term rate void
Three months into 2021, grounds for optimism have grown little that a term rate will be found before the end of the year to replace Libor in loans, CLOs, CDS and other contracts. But hopes are rising that solutions such as credit spread adjustments could help mitigate performance uncertainty

Differences emerge in shape of new CLO bond buckets
The future of bonds in CLO portfolios is beginning to take shape after amendments to the Volcker rule came into effect in October last year

European CLO trades wide in secondary amid CLO risk retention issue
A European CLO manager has been caught in a rare situation owing to risk-retention compliance for its 2015-vintage Euro Galaxy IV – and CLO traders have factored this in the secondary market

CLO issuers flex their bond muscles
Some panellists at Creditflux’s US CLO Investor Summit pointed to structural difficulties, but the consensus was that flexibility — particularly the ability to buy bonds — could improve performance

CLO managers gain time with Libor deadline extension
US CLO issuers have been given legroom ahead of the transition away from Libor, but as one CLO investor puts it: “While it’s an important development for the CLO market because it alleviates some of the Libor stress, it does not make the problem go away.”